Warning: Those cheap water heater drain pans will rust out in 18 months
Installed a $15 drain pan under my new water heater to protect the basement floor. It rusted through last week and dumped 40 gallons of water onto my new laminate. Had to rip out the whole floor, total repair was about $1,200. Anybody else had luck with plastic pans instead?
Heard from a plumber friend that plastic pans are the way to go now, he said the metal ones just aren't made worth a damn anymore. He switched to those thick plastic ones and hasn't had a call back about a leak in years. Might be worth the extra few bucks to save your floor.